The Little Glass Orange
by foxtrotelly
Summary: Hotaru took another picture then paused to admire her good work. “It’s not usually on my turf to play fairy godmother, and I don’t really believe in curfews, so just come back by ten to be sure and never ever take off the pendant…Idiot.”
1. Schemes and Bullies

Heyo, Foxtrotelly here. :D So yeah, I'm finally back and on the process of writing my fourth fic here. Enjoy, I thought well and hard for this story during the three weeks when I didn't have anything to type with. XD

**Disclaimer:** The author rightfully respects the artistic genius Higuchi Tachibana-sensei and her works! All rights reserved and copyrights to her, hands down! Woot! \mm/

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The Little Glass Orange**_

_**A Foxtrotelly tale**_

_"You brought this on yourself, Mikan-chan," Narumi stated with disappointment as Mikan could only look at him pleadingly._

_"But Naru-sensei – ," Iinchou came to his friend's defense._

_"We have no choice but to forbid her from attending tonight's festivities, seeing that you have all this spilled paint to clean up," said Jinno coldly, giving Mikan a disapproving glare._

_Ruka opened his mouth to speak, but was only interrupted by Jinno._

_"The decision is final."_

:x :x :x

**[Classroom 2B – 8:26 am] **

The sound of tapping low heels against cold marble echoed against the hallway as our favorite brunette ran to her morning homeroom class, once again late for the 473rd time.

Narumi was cut off in mid-speech when the doors banged open.

"Sorry Narumi-sensei, I was busy preparing the stage lights for tomorrow night!" Mikan huffed, out of breath.

Narumi nodded and said with a smile, "You've been working hard, Mikan-chan. Please take your seat."

From beneath the shadows of class 2B, manic fangirls watched Mikan with the same menacing gleam in their eyes.

**[Custodian's closet – 10:13 am]**

"What the –, "Ruka shielded his eyes from the sudden flash of light.

The swinging lamplight that hung over their heads showed the stoic face of Hotaru Imai…

"Imai!" Ruka cried, his eyebrows meeting in frustration.

"As you may well know, tomorrow is Gakuen Alice's first ever – ", Hotaru started in business-like tone.

"What the hell is this fo – "

"Summer dance in fifty years. And as a way to bring back tradition – ", the raven-haired girl continued.

"What'd you pull me in for – "

"The attire is up the student him or herself, and – "

"Let me out of here I – " Ruka snarled at the unaffected girl.

"It would be themed as summer wear only. And lastly, besides the fact that – "

"IMAI! Wha – ", Ruka's growl slowly died as he felt the cold metal of a deer hoof glove press against his head.

"Most twelve year old boys barely know how to dress themselves, it would also be a night of manic fangirl hype since there's an 8 out of 10 chance you're bound to end up with the person you dance with. Do you comprehend?" Hotaru's languid monotonous eyes bore onto Ruka's disturbed ones.

"Y-yes, I think I do. But, what do you want wi – "

"Introducing _Metamorpendants_ version 7.13.267 H. Imai pat. pending, the latest breakthrough in incognito technology," the amethyst eyed twelve-year old pulled out a small remote from her skirt pocket and pointed it to the low ceiling above them. As soon as Hotaru pressed a button, a flat screen television descended from a thin opening in the ceiling.

"Using this pendant, its wearer can change appearance and clothes, appropriate for the occasion," Hotaru gestured to a video showing on the screen, which was a clip of an animated girl wearing rags putting on the said charm. The charm glowed as soon as it touched skin, and almost too instantly, a blinding light illuminated around the girl and everything changed from her face to the clothes she was wearing.

"You got this from that Cinderella movie we watched the other day!"

"Only, some minor setbacks may be included, such as," Hotaru paused to point to the animated girl on screen who smiled to reveal a set of gleaming braces, "The metamorphosis process leaves out one attribute unchanged," she stopped and turned to look at the screen beside her, "and may leave some uncertain side effects…," Ruka watched in horror as the fair and petite girl grew purple spots on her left hand.

"Now if you're smart enough," Hotaru quietly spoke without turning back to face Ruka, "You'd take the prototype because we wouldn't want to be mauled by a bunch of crazy girls now, would we?" Hotaru faced Ruka with a laconically stolid expression that could have made a lion cower any day.

"N-now, don't you think of me as some kind of stupid boy you could always push around! I'm practically sure that I know that you know that I know we're twelve, and I'm prepared for whatever kind of blackmailing you have in store for me! I'm not the same underdeveloped kid you used to know, so… Oh, you just infuriate me at times!" Ruka sucked in a deep breath, his face reddening at the sight of impassive Hotaru.

Hotaru held out her open palm to reveal two charms on separate chains, one a cat and the other a rabbit.

"Only 6000 yen each, now pay up."

**[Sakura tree – 5: 21 pm]**

"Please Natsume? Just for me…" Ruka gave his best friend his best smile yet.

"No."

"Please?

"No."

"Please? You get to take the, uhm, cat charm."

"No."

"Imai's expecting her payment by seven-thirty…"

…

"How much for the cat?" Natsume rolled his eyes as he reluctantly took out his wallet.

**[Random fangirl dorm – 8:14 pm]**

"AHEM!"

The agitated chatter subsided as a blonde haired girl stood in front of a bunch of girls and cleared her throat.

"Now, now. As we all know, tomorrow is the Gakuen's Summer Ball. Knowing perfectly well that everyone here would die to have a dance with Natsume-kun, Ruka-sama, or both, we'd have to carry out the appropriate scheming in order for that to happen. Throughout the years our biggest threat from ever getting Ruka-sama and Natsume-kun has been none other than Sakura Mikan." The girl paused, allowing the agitated chatter to grow louder.

"Attention, attention! Hinata-san has something more to say!" A shaggy redheaded girl raised her voice over the loud buzz in the room.

The girl named Hinata made for a dramatic pause as she left the suspense hanging over the dead quiet room.

"Tonight, we carry out our plan. Tomorrow, WE SHALL BRING SAKURA MIKAN DOWN!"

Hinata cackled madly along with all the other few dozen girls in the room, then stopped to recite their fangirl sorority chant.

"WE DEVOTE ALL OUR LIVES TO THE GLORY OF YOU, THOSE OTHER GIRLS ARE NOTHING, OUR LOYALTY IS TRUE."

**[Classroom 2B – 8:03 am]**

The day of the first ever Gakuen Alice Summer Ball held in fifty years, though the classroom was abuzz with the excitement of the night's festivities with the girls chattering about what they were to wear and the boys complaining about why the attire can't be provided instead, everything still seemed unusually quiet – too deafeningly quiet, in fact, for a certain raven-haired SheHitler and crimson-eyed fire caster to handle.

'_Where is that idiot?'_

A girl in pigtails arrived in class 2B before anyone elsecould have thought of the missing noise maker. The whole class stopped talking to stare at the complete stranger that just showed up through their door.

Everything about her seemed different that day, since not only was her head bowed low but her entire aura and being seemed so down too. With her she carried a silence that seemed almost loud that nobody could stand being a meter within her distance. Hotaru gave an inconspicuous glance from her bible-think book on _Nanotechnology Engineering _while Natsume half-opened an eye to welcome the incoming girl that looked comical enough to have thunderclouds drawn overhead. Everyone stared at the person who didn't seem to be their beloved Mikan at all.

"Mikan-chan? Are you alright?" Iinchou's worried tone rang within the sudden silence.

No reply.

"What's up with the new vibe?" Kitsunume piped in as he hovered above Mikan and followed her to her seat.

No reply.

"Mikan-chan, what happened to you?" Anna eyed her friend in concern.

Koko, who was busy doodling on a piece of paper, had his attention grabbed when he heard Mikan's troubled thoughts.

'_Why is everyone staring? I thought they wouldn't notice…'_

"Are we having 'sad little clown day' today? What did you do last night, I don't believe I was able to get a memo."

'_Sad little wha - ? Speaking of last night… Well, I ate dinner, bugged Hotaru for awhile, then went up to my room, took off my shoes, brushed my teeth – '_

"I meant did you do anything last night to make you lose your voice or something, like say, talk too much?" Koko stood up and strode over to Mikan who just slumped down beside a "sleeping" Natsume that had a manga spread across his face.

A snort out of nowhere, and someone muttering, "Well that's a complete understatement," then followed by Mikan, being unaffected at all, mutely narrating the events of last night.

'_No, not at all. Uhm, so after I finished brushing my teeth, I got out of the bathroom and found a shiny box waiting on my bed…'_

"What was inside the box?" Koko further interrogated the Nullifier, somehow catching the whole class' attention now.

'_Well, for one, it was really, really pretty. It had this shiny pink wrapper and this glittery blue ribbon on top. Oh, and it had the cutest card – '_

"Let's skip that part shall we?" The sandy-haired mindreader rolled his eyes, still marveling at the density of his classmate.

'_Uhm, let's see, when I opened it I found two boxes. The other box was yellow, which reminded me of a box of Howalons, and the other red, which reminded me of my favorite malts…' _

"Who was it from?" Koko sauntered around their table for a bit, his eyes still on Mikan, with hands behind his back for that perfect detective interrogator effect. Aside from an "absorbed" Hotaru and "sleeping" Natsume, the whole of class 2B formed a tight circle around Mikan, Natsume, and Ruka's table that Koko was now circling.

'_Yeah…didn't say. So when I opened it, the contents looked really pretty and I ate them…'_

"So…What'd she say?" Iinchou eagerly looked at Koko.

"Judging by the effects, it's either she ate some Muting Malt Balls or wolfed down some Silencing Sugar Fluffs, more commonly known as Hush Hush Howalon or…" Koko scratched his chin, his gaze still upon the puzzled brunette.

"Or…?"

"Or she might have had both, which leaves for a double, or worse, quadruple effect of no vocal cords until next week," Koko added quickly, his circling trail around the desk stopping behind a dozing Natsume.

"Sakura… Did you eat all of the stuff inside both boxes?" Ruka incredulously asked.

Mikan hung her head in embarrassment.

Another snort, "Figures."

**[Hallways – 9:45 am]**

"The banner's almost good, we just need some more yellow and blue paint Narumi-sensei," four girls hovering above a 20x10 feet canvas chorused. Kitsunume, who was the only boy in the group of hovering painters, somersaulted freely some 15 feet up, earning begrudging glares from his fellow artists.

"Oh, ok, Mochu-kun, would you mind fetching some paint from the supply closet?" Narumi spun around to look for Mochu.

"Uhm, we sent him to get more paintbrushes Narumi-sensei," one of the hovering girls spoke.

"Nonoko-chan, could you be so kind to fetch the paint?"

"She's out, Narumi-sensei, getting, getting more newspapers!"

"Uhm, fine then, Yuki-kun? ...No, no. Karen-san? …Also not here," Narumi paused to look for more people within the vicinity that could get the paint besides the evidently clumsy brunette in pigtails that started waving her arms in front of him as soon as he popped the question.

"Anyone, anyone who can get the paint from the – "

Mikan started jumping up and down while she continued to wave about her arms like mad.

"Why don't you let Mi – ", another one of the hovering girls attempted to suggest.

"Hm, strange, why isn't anyone available to –, "Narumi, still in an attempt to overlook Mikan and pretend not to see her, was dragged to the ground by a pair of small hands.

"Oh, erm, hi Mikan-chan, didn't see you there… – "

"Naru-sensei why don't you let Sakura-chan do it?" The four girls said in unison.

Mikan's brown orbs went from eager to teary eyed as she only looked at Narumi-sensei in expectation.

"Fine, fine," Narumi sighed in defeat.

**[Hallways – Ten minutes later]**

Mikan ran, just as fast as she could without spilling any of the paint she was trusted to fetch.

…Some shuffling, then a single misstep…

The brunette was sent flying due to unexplainable reasons seconds later, the paint cans breaking free from her tight grasp and sent soaring across the hallway, splattering paint on the walls, lockers, corkboards, banner, Narumi-sensei, and yes, passerby Jinno-sensei. Kitsunume stopped in midsomersault and descended a few feet to see what just happened.

'_WHA - ? HOW'D THAT HAPPEN? I, I – '_

Mikan was sent crashing to the floor with a sickly thud, the paint buckets clanging to the floor after somewhat being suspended in the air for a second or two.

From behind her, the hovering girls tried hard to suppress the evil giggles of success while a girl hiding behind a potted plant winked at them wickedly. Narumi-sensei only stood in utter petrification while Jinno-sensei stood there, wiping the yellow and blue from his glasses, his pale face turning three shades of fuchsia.

A couple of students passing by ran back to the classroom to spread the news about the sight, and just like brushfire, it spread within seconds, a number of students gathering around the scene to prove it.

Ruka, Iinchou, and Koko were part of the students who caught sight of the scene, fortunately for Mikan.

As Narumi-sensei took a few minutes to process what happened and Jinno-sensei took a few minutes to compose his thoughts and self, Mikan could only sit there, stained in paint, wondering how things could've gone wrong.

Koko was able to pick up the thoughts of everyone who had been witness to Mikan's accident, including the hovering girls and the girl behind the potted plant that were in charge of this well-planned scheme. Yes, Kokoroyumi Mindreader-kun knew everything that he needed to know, and yet, it was astonishing how a few buckets of paint could turn the most normal situation into a whirlwind of utter disaster in the span of three minutes.

It was a never before seen feat, likewise never-before attempted – perhaps a new world record.

"You brought this on yourself, Mikan-chan," Narumi stated with disappointment as Mikan could only look at him pleadingly.

"But Naru-sensei – ", Iinchou came to his friend's defense.

"We have no choice but to forbid her from attending tonight's festivities,seeing that you have all this spilled paint to clean up," said Jinno coldly, giving Mikan a disapproving glare.

Ruka opened his mouth to speak, but was only interrupted by Jinno.

"The decision is final."

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Foxtrotelly and Co. is now accepting comments, reviews, and suggestions - so please make my day, because even one comment can go a long way! :-bd


	2. Gakuen Alice Summer Ball

Here's the very fast update for chapter two guys. (: I actually finished this the same time I finished chapter one because I just split the file into two parts since it was too long, and I was just waiting for some feedback on the first part. Two reviews are enough for me (I think), because chapter one wasn't all that interesting. This is where all the interesting stuff kicks in, enjoy! (:

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[Hallways – 7: 55 pm]**

Tears mixed with sweat as poor little Mikan gave out mute sobs and wiped away the beads of sweat forming on her forehead with her sleeve.

_'I-if only I wasn't so clumsy a-at that time… I-I've really waited for this dance for such a long time… Hmph. I could have sworn there was something weird going on when the paint splattered all over the place…,'_ Mikan pouted as she scrubbed away, pondering.

BAM!

Mikan froze as the windows flew open. This was the third floor, for heaven's sake, and she was sure nobody could be able to break in if they didn't have a flying swan or something.

_'HOTARU!' _

The pigtailed twelve-year old ran over to welcome her best friend.

BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!

Mikan looked up from where she was thrown and gave Hotaru a 'What-Took-You-So-Long' look.

"I had to wait for some elbow grease and a gallon of sweat," Hotaru lucidly spoke, her face just as expressionless as ever.

The confused Nullifier rubbed her elbow in confusion and looked at her best friend in eager expectation.

Hotaru rolled her amethyst eyes and sighed as she fished for something in her sling pouch.

"Here, wear this," the twelve-year old inventor held out a delicate looking charm in her palm. It was orange, and was literally an orange, that hung on a thin silver chain. "…And don't ever take it off or it's dirty old paint-stained rags for you again," she flatly added.

Mikan took the glowing pendant gingerly and wore it around her neck.

The instant it touched the skin of Mikan's throat, the charm gave off a blinding light that illuminated all throughout Mikan's body, giving her a godly appearance.

Another flash of light, and Hotaru took out a camera from her pouch and took a picture of her work for later admiration.

Standing there was a complete stranger, her short, big carrot-colored curls bouncing together with her bobbing heart-shaped face that carried a set of soft ash-colored eyes and freckled button nose. Though her clothes changed from the summer Academy uniform to a knee-length sleeveless, turquoise skirted dress that greatly complimented her orange red hair and a pair of simple white sandals, when she showed her teeth to flash a beam, she still definitely had Mikan's smile.

This was no complete stranger; this was a pretty girl – a pretty girl that had Mikan's smile.

Mikan twirled around senselessly, not having anything to see herself with.

_'How do I look?'_

"Not as elegant and graceful as Cinderella herself," Mikan still gave Hotaru an adoring look, "But just as pretty," Hotaru gave her a small smile.

The color of Mikan's hair matched the pleasing shade on her cheeks. Hotaru took another picture then paused to admire her good work.

"It's not usually on my turf to play fairy godmother, and I don't really believe in curfews, so just come back by ten to be sure and never ever take off the pendant…Idiot," said Hotaru tersely in her usual uncaring tone.

The former brunette nodded brightly and beamed.

**[Academy Quadrangle Plaza – 8:31 pm]**

"Of all the hair colors in the world, I just had to be blonde!" A pale and handsome medium-built boy with tousled honey-colored hair and deep murky brown eyes furiously whispered to the equally medium-built and charming cerulean-eyed boy with unruly ash brown curls.

The brunette boy looked at the blonde beside him scornfully, "Gee Natsume, are you implying something?"

"No, nothing at all," the golden haired boy hissed as he narrowed his eyes at his companion.

They both made their way to the farthest table edging away from the dance floor on that warm June night. The two boys took a look around, as if in search for someone, and noticed the numerous scattered fangirls calling out their names. Both inwardly smirked and beheld the setting as they sat down.

Firefly lights scattered across the dark blue summer night sky canvas, their rear lights charmed to glow different colors at a time. In the middle of the quad was woodland acre inspired oak, complete with random cabins jutting out from its enormous leafy top and abundant acorns sprouting here and there, filling the air with an earthy and woodsy scent. Aside from the firefly lighting, elfish lamplights were placed all over the quads vicinity and a small encased candlelight served as a candelabra for every "earthenized" table set that consisted of some twigs and a big, irregularly shaped trunk to serve as table and chairs. The stage was a simple wooden platform with a few stage lights and the Northern Woods as the backdrop. Fragrant wildflowers bloomed all over the place, the blonde-haired boy finding it cliché and cheesy whenever he would see a boy picking up a flower and offering it to a girl.

"How did you ever talk me into this?" Natsume, now golden-haired and brown eyed boy gruffly asked his best friend who was grabbing two wooden cups from a little dwarf carrying a tray of drinks passing by.

"Because this ball's a sign of good camaraderie and fellowship?" An ash brown haired Ruka grinned sheepishly at his best friend while handing a wooden cup to him.

"Hn. This is all just so stu – what is this, dirt-flavored tea?!"

"It's actually chamomile truffle, good for the nerves actually," Ruka coolly retorted, blowing on his own steaming cup.

"I'm going to go get some real food and probably some water to wash down this gunk," Natsume muttered darkly, standing up abruptly to walk over to the leafy clothed buffet table.

"Low-profile dude!" Ruka called out just before Natsume was in good hearing distance for the other people nearby. Natsume dismissively waved a hand.

Ruka watched his best friend saunter in the direction of the chicken drumsticks and lemonade in a very Natsume Hyuuga-like fashion, "Imai wasn't kidding when she told me about that one attribute left unchanged," Ruka chuckled quietly to himself.

A still chortling Ruka Nogi lifted the cup to his lips just in time for a stray redheaded girl to trip on a crawling vine nearby and topple onto poor unsuspecting Ruka's lap.

The girl, her eyes still shut tight, fluttered them open slowly after finding herself in an awkward position with a total stranger. In embarrassment, she swiftly raised her head from Ruka's lap, bumping it into Ruka's forearm, making him spill the steaming contents onto his white button-down shirt and gray vest.

"Wha – OW! HOT, HOT!"

A redheaded Mikan who just realized what she had done, quickly got up and bowed to the disgruntled boy, her face a deep shade of scarlet.

But before a mute Mikan could run away in tears and a sky patrolling Hotaru can come to her best friend's shameful rescue, Ruka caught her arm, much to the surprise of the people watching nearby and Hotaru on her flying swan hovering a good 30 feet above the scene.

Mikan in complete bewilderedness was even more shocked to hear the words, "You can stay. Sit down, please."

Redheaded Mikan bowed her head low and slowly sat down next to Ruka. Ruka, meanwhile, was fanning on his wet shirt while studying the girl from head to toe.

Her carrot-colored curls were in minor disarray and the delicate fabric from her dress was lightly swaying in the mild wind. Her reddened face, in complete contrast to the turquoise color of her dress' skirt, made Ruka smile.

"Hey, it's ok, it tasted like dirt anyway," he shrugged.

Timidly, the girl lifted her head, her gray eyes quickly taking an effect over Ruka.

_'He has his eyes.'_

"Hey, I didn't ge – who the hell is this?" Natsume arrived at the table carrying a plate loaded with apple pie and drumsticks. Ruka gaped at the mountain of food, earning a 'Better-Seize-The-Moment-While-I'm-Not-Natsume-Hyuuga' egotistic shrug from his best friend.

Mikan looked at Natsume and gave him a warm smile.

_'She has her smile.'_

Immediately, Koko's head jerked up from the shepherd's pie he was stabbing with his fork a few tables away and gazed over at the two boys that held a vague familiarity to him.

He gave them an impish grin and waved.

Natsume narrowed his eyes, _'To hell with you Koko.'_

The sandy-haired mindreader quickly returned his attention to his shepherd's pie and dismissed the thought – for later on.

"Y-you look new here, do I-I know you?" Ruka bore his eyes onto Mikan's, his expression unwavering.

_'You look new here as well.'_

"He asked you your name, idiot girl," Natsume's tedious voice echoed with boredom.

Mikan looked at him and frustration.

"You don't talk much do you?" Ruka eased the growing tension.

The heart-shaped faced redhead nodded.

There was an awkward silence between the three of them, which was quickly interrupted by the emcee announcing something about a new song. Either way, Ruka was to entranced to pay any attention to anything

"C-care to dance?" Ruka put a hand to his nape while he looked away, blushing. Natsume rolled his eyes as Mikan mutely giggled and grabbed Ruka's hand excitedly on the way to the dance floor.

The music slowly, but surely, filled the whole quad, encompassing it with a separate peace, away from the distractions of failed algebra quizzes or mind-numbing biology homework. It gradually took an effect on the people, and every person, whether student or teacher, got up on their feet and just danced the night away – everyone, but one boy.

Natsume sat there, feeling empty.

A lively waltz followed afterwards, succeeded by a summer folk song, followed by another, and another… while a blonde-haired boy could only watch on.

"And he said no dancing…" Natsume grumbled under his breath, dark brown eyes sharply glaring over at his best friend dancing away with some random girl dance the night away.

_'Who does she think she is, anyway?! She's barely … She's just fairly…attractive, that's all.'_

After three roundtrips to the buffet table and a _Blue Danube_, Mikan and Ruka were back at the table, still completely unaware that they were in each other's presence the whole night.

Mikan, suddenly remembering her 10 o'clock curfew in case Jinno came to check by, looked at her watch and saw it was twenty minutes to 10 pm. She gave both boys an 'I-Really-Really-Really-Need-To-Go' look.

Then unexpectedly, Mikan leaned forward and kiss Ruka's cheek.

_'He smells so woodsy, like wild honeysuckle and fresh rainwater, just like Ruka.'_

"I, uh, why don't you dance with her?" Ruka, still blushing, turned to Natsume who simply hn-ed.

The emcee got up onstage and announced that the last dance for the night would be starting in three minutes.

The three of them simply looked down, all of them completely having no idea what to do next.

Ruka wanted to persuade his best friend to dance with Mikan (though he was itching to have another last dance with the redhead), while Natsume couldn't figure anything better to do with his time since a certain brunette was nowhere in sight and was thinking up ways on how to get his money back from Imai without risking the chance of losing any major organs. Mikan, on the other hand, was in a race against the clock and an evil egoist stepmother.

"Aww, surely you could stay for one last dance right?" Ruka broke the eerie silence in high hopes he could do Natsume a favor.

The redhead creased her forehead in worry and mashed her lips into a straight line, a dimple on each cheek showing.

"Just go if you need to go now, I don't give a – "

"Why don't you go dance with her?" An ash-brown haired Ruka looked expectantly at his best friend with glinting blue eyes he was sure Natsume couldn't dismiss.

Mikan gazed upon the bored-looking boy and thought of how lonely he could have been, without having anyone to dance with the entire night. So without hesitation, she took his hand.

Natsume froze as he felt a soft, warm hand touching his, his expression still as droning but his eyes alert, as though he just remembered something – or was reminded of someone.

An enthusiastic Mikan pulled 'a-less-than-interested-but-somehow-curious' Natsume to the middle of the quad, her carrot curls bobbing along with her surprisingly lithe and graceful movements.

They got to crowd of eager dancers shortly, Mikan lacing her fingers with Natsume's the second they were settled. The blonde-haired boy snorted egotistically and rolled his eyes when the redhead looked at him expectantly. Reluctantly, Natsume placed a hand on her waist, the _Valse Lente _setting in perfectly just in time.

Mikan locked her bright gray orbs to Natsume's deep murky brown ones intently as they twirled and moved around to the serene and gentle melody.

Effortlessly, they nimbly danced their way through the slow waltz, the moon like a spotlight on the scene. Not a word was uttered from either of them, as their gaze only fell on each other's eyes.

The silence combined with their harmonious movements to the unhurried tune was calming – almost enchanting.

Slowly, together with the music's tempo, Natsume felt a peculiar feeling overcoming his senses.

'_Crap, what the hell… What the hell is with this heavy, and ugh, warm-fuzzy feeling?'_

Natsume felt himself involuntarily moving his face closer to Mikan who didn't seem the least bit bothered. He tried hard to keep his pallid face smooth, but it only resulted to a faint flushing barely visible in the candle light. A variety of stressed expressions flickered through his face. An _allegretto_ part came to the scene, beckoning them to quicken their movements.

'_She smells like tangelos and vanilla, just like her… What the hell.'_

'_Somehow… this guy reminds me of someone. Gosh, he's even got the deadly aura and killer footwork and charms all copied up,'_ Mikan cocked her head slightly as she tried to get deeper hold on her thoughts.

The song reentered its usual pace with Natsume tightening his grip on Mikan's hand, the composed look on his flushed face on the brink of breaking.

'_Hn… My face feels hot… Crap, I hope she doesn't notice, no, I don't care if she notices… But, I don't think she's one of those crazy fangirls. She's somehow different, somehow like…,' _Natsume's thoughts got hazed, his whole restraint giving away.

When the waltz came down to its last chiming notes, the blonde-haired boy gave Mikan one final spin before losing to his inebriated feeling.

Without thinking, Natsume pulled Mikan close and planted a kiss on her lips, the piano softly playing out two last parting chords in farewell.

Ruka's watchful eyes widened in surprise, Natsume tightly closed his eyes, while Mikan's emotions flickered and danced through her face.

Time stood still.

'_Just like crushed raspberries in warm chocolate sauce…' _Natsume's mind drifted to the memory of his first kiss, the sweetest thing in the whole world. His right hand reached for Mikan's red curls and stayed there for awhile.

'_Tastes like peppermint in warm cinnamon…'_ Mikan's eyes threatened to droop close, the intoxication getting to her. It was the sweetest thing in the whole world, just like her first kiss…

'_Wait! What?! This can't be right!' _Mikan's alarmed gray eyes shot open. Her defense mechanisms kicked in too, as she shoved at Natsume's gut with all her strength.

Natsume, still intoxicated, couldn't helped but be heaved away from Mikan, though his fingers still intertwined with hers. The taste of the kiss was still lingering on his lips, enough to hit him with stone-hard force and send him crashing back down to earth.

Mikan wrenched her hands from Natsume's and glared daggers at him. Her foot made an attempt to crush his foot, which Natsume easily dodged by taking a step back.

Mikan's face turned to a deep scarlet that almost matched her carrot-curls from its pleasing pink color only a few moments ago.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A brilliant orange light glowed from the base of the redhead's throat that quickly caught everyone's attention within 15 feet, including Ruka and Natsume who were briskly walking towards each other.

Mikan stole a glance at her watch…

…And made a mad dash for it shortly afterwards.

"Wait!" Ruka tried to call after her, his expression worrisome and guilty while Natsume continued to watch on after Mikan running, apparently not ashamed on himself.

Then the orange glow that radiated around Mikan immediately disappeared. In the half-light Natsume could've sworn he saw her hair turning brown and growing out at the moment with his sharp eyes.

A snicker from behind the nearby bushes abruptly interrupted the impact of Mikan's sudden escape.

"Burn in hell Koko, or I'll do the pleasure of starting the flame for you," Natsume's voice droned, his gaze still fixed on the way Mikan ran to…when something caught his eye. Kokoroyomi cringed and retreated to the safety of their table.

It was glinting feebly in the moonlight when he walked over to it and picked it up. I

It was a little glass orange, no bigger than a coin, but no smaller than a ring. It glowed faintly and literally took the form of an orange, even with a leaf and all.

Natsume took another step forward when a muffled crunching noise caught his attention again. He looked down and saw that it was a broken chain, much identical to the thin white gold chain his charm was hanging on.

…Only, it smelled of oranges.

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Should I edit the summary? I honestly want to have a lot of feedback on this one, so feel free to review because they [your reviews and comments] really make me happy. (: Oh yeah, chapter 3 the aftermath up...Are you ready? \mm/ (I don't see it as epic though - haha)


	3. The Orange and the Cat

Here goes the last chapter. This story wasn't much, but I really enjoyed writing it for awhile. (It's my shortest written story - so far) Oh well, make me happy guys. ;)

* * *

The morning after the ball, things were back in their normal order.

The laboriously prepared decorations were taken down, posters announcing the ball were now removed from all bulletin boards, and the night's leftovers were served during breakfast that morning.

And yet…

A hangover still remained. The Gakuen Alice Summer Ball was a wonderful happening held undiscovered for so many years to those witness to it last night. The students never really knew what sort of magic or enchantment came over them during the ball, or where it came from. Could it have been the giant oak planted in the middle of the quad (now mysteriously gone), or was it the sweet-smelling wildflowers scattered all over the place? What if it were numerous brewed potions laced within the food and drinks last night, or how would the students react if the musicians were gifted Alices

that held the power to make you fall in love just by listening to their music?

Or, what if, all that magic was purely contained in a little glass orange?

:x :x :x

**[Classroom 2B – 7:57 am]**

"Ne, Hotaru-chan, what's that?" Nonoko poked her head from behind Hotaru's shoulder to peep at the funny-looking helmet her friend was tinkering with.

"Yeah Imai, what IS that?" Mochu piped in and got up from his seat.

"Introducing version 5.3 of the Kokoroyomi helmet H. Imai pat. pending, the latest breakthrough in mindreading next to Kokoroyomi here."

"Hey, I heard my – "

"Mikan, come over here," Hotaru droned to Mikan who was coming in through the doors.

Instantly, Mikan's face brightened. She quickly ran over to hug Hotaru who sidestepped and placed the helmet on Mikan's head with ease.

The raven-haired inventor immediately plugged earphones to the helmet and switched it on.

"What happened last night?" Hotaru flatly asked as she adjusted a knob on the helmet.

_'I-I… Hotaru, could you hear me? Could you? Could you?!'_

"Loud and clear, baka," Hotaru mumbled a hand to her ear and her eyes shut in frustration.

By that time, all the students of class 2B were gathered around Hotaru's table in a tight circle, all except for Natsume who was cutting class somewhere else.

_'Uh, Hotaru, why are all these people staring? I-I'm scared.'_

"They can't hear you Mikan. Now, continue," Hotaru took a giant flyswatter from under her desk.

_'I-I met these two guys. One had curly dark brown hair, and the other blonde… I d-danced t-the e-e-entire n-night w-w-w-'_

"Stop stuttering, what you're saying is barely understandable. Geez."

_'Continuing with the story, I d-danced with the brown-haired guy, and then he told me about so much stuff. And everytime he'd stare me down, I could see how his eyes are so like Ruka's. He told me about how my hair looked cool, and how he reminded me of someone. He said I had someone's smile, and then he… He talked about this completely different girl.'_

"Who was it?"

_'He told me about this girl he seemed to be looking for the entire night. Of course, he never told me her name, but he says this girl was very pretty. She was pretty much a Shehitler in many ways, and she'd torture him for hours on end, but no matter how mean and evil she was to him, he couldn't help but fall for her every time. Who do you think she was?'_

Hotaru looked taken aback for a bit, then her face went blank.

_'I, should I tell you the rest?'_

Hotaru nodded, her lips set into a straight line.

_'Then, he showed me this glowing necklace. I couldn't tell if it were a bunny or a peace sign, but, either way, he told me not to tell a soul.'_

Hotaru internally gasped, but kept her expression indifferent.

_'I had a great time with him and – Hotaru could you tell Permy to bug off, I can't think well when she's breathing down my neck.'_

"Nevermind her, she should be somewhere else minding her own business, right Permy?" Hotaru said dryly.

Permy backed away cautiously.

_'He was the perfect prince charming, but I knew he liked someone else. I let this be, since the whole time we danced and he talked the night away, I really enjoyed myself. He was funny, and sweet, and he really made me happy. So, I want him to be happy too.' _

Mikan smiled. "Anything else you'd like to add?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow.

_'W-well, a-a-after… Uhh, o-on th-the l-last dance, th-th-the…'_

"You're stuttering too much again."

_'S-sorry Hotaru. On the last dance, instead of dancing with nobody but the brown-haired boy, he handed me over to his friend, the blonde one. Then…and th-then we danced the last dance. I-it felt different, almost m-magical, and…we were almost gliding…yeah, and i-it was s-so wonderful! His dark brown eyes were just so intense, and his deep gaze really reminded me of someone. H-he didn't talk much, a-and when I was a-about t-t-to… H-he…'_

Mikan blushed madly and looked down in embarrassment.

_'Ohh, I just feel so guilty hiding this from you Hotaru, but I-I really want to tell you…'_

"Oh just spit it out," said Hotaru bluntly.

_'He…h-he KISSED ME! Gah! I-I can't take it anymore, gah!'_

A small evil smile crept to Hotaru's face, but her sudden scheming was suddenly interrupted when Mikan's thoughts burst.

_'B-b-but…It was just s-so s-s-sweet! I-it kind o-of was like m-my…'_

"First I track him down, then afterwards, I interrogate," Hotaru insipidly chanted.

This was pure gold.

:x :x :x

"Ruka, I need you to do something for me," Natsume suddenly spoke, his expression tedious but his gaze distant.

"Huh?"

"I need you to find the owner of the charm," he handed him a little glowing orange that hung on the white gold chain.

Ruka let his books hit his desk as he curiously eyed the faintly gleaming charm, "What for?"

"Just look for her, ok?" Natsume got up languorously and sauntered out the classroom, his book bag slung lightly on his back.

"Oh," Natsume didn't stop walking, "Tell Imai I'd be needing my money back." He tossed a necklace in the air.

His blonde, cerulean-eyed animal lover of a best friend simply shrugged and inwardly chuckled at the wonder of it all, his right hand clutching an orange stone, a cat charm in another.

From outside, the dull orange beams the setting sun cast off streamed through the window shafts, making the charms on Ruka's hands glow even brighter.

In discords and strife, they say that the strings of life often get entangled, leaving the fates of certain people intertwined. It was a funny thing, actually, that they would even think of making it this literal.

And he knew.

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There it is. I hope you guys review for the last time. (: Make my day, c'mon! :D


	4. Author's Note

Author's Note

I enjoyed writing this one, since it's been a really long time since my last fic. My computer broke down, and there were some glitches with the WiFi, but hey, I'm back. :D Many thanks to those who supported my stories too. (: (Hi **missyJuliette. **:-h) Anyway, any author should be well-equipped with the knowledge that less than 10 reviews shouldn't discourage her (or him) from writing because it's how you channel your creative energy that matters, and not really how much feedback you get.

I also currently posted about my upcoming fics, so better watch out for them m'kay? Oooh, and yeah, _My First-Grade Romance_ is coming up very soon so keep your eyes open for that too. XD

Someone who's always to tell you stories who'd never get discouraged despite the minimal feedback she got,

Foxtrotelly. (:


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